Colby Grounds

About Colby Grounds

How large is the Colby Campus? The main campus at Colby is comprised of 714 acres.

How many plants comprise Colby's landscape? Colby has a plant inventory of more than 1,800 trees, 2,000 shrubs, and thousands of perennials that are regularly maintained in the campus core alone. Thousands of other plants exist in the Perkins Arboretum and in other areas outside the campus core. All contribute to the beauty of Colby's campus!

I heard that the College is a wild life preserve. Is this true? Approximately 90% of the main campus (640 acres) is designated as a Wildlife Management Area by the State of Maine.

What is a Wildlife Management Area? These areas are defined by state statute as "...any tract of land or body of water... {used} by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife for the purposes of wildlife management..." There are many facets of wildlife management, but it is broadly defined as "...the art or science of producing wild animals and birds and of improving wildlife conditions in the state."

What impact does this designation have on the College's use of the land? As part of being good stewards of the land, the following restrictions apply to Colby's main campus.

No hunting is allowed on Colby College campus.

No fishing is allowed in Johnson Pond.

Dogs are not permitted to chase wild game.

Where is the Perkins Arboretum? The 128 acre arboretum is located between Messalonskee Stream and Mayflower Hill Drive. Access the numerous trails across the street from the Millett House or at the lower side of the rugby field.

Come enjoy Johnson Pond! Come sit on Colby's benches around Johnson Pond. Johnson Pond is a high priority for the College. A natural buffer strip is maintained around the pond to help as a filter and no fertilizers are used around the pond itself. The pond is periodically inspected by an Aquatic biologist as well as routinely tested for nutrient levels.

Does Colby have an IPM Plan? PPD has maintained a sustainable IPM (Integrated Pest Management) plan for a number of years. If any department or person wishes to use pesticides on campus, please contact the PPD IPM Team at extension 5000.

When was Colby's landscape master plan initiated? Colby's landscape master plan was established in 2004 as a follow up to the 2001 Campus Master Plan. It contains guidelines to help standardize the landscape features. It also provides tools to better manage our existing plant inventory as well as selection criteria for all newer plantings, which include the use of native or naturalized species.

Does Colby treat its storm water? Colby College has several storm water treatment ponds that treat the majority of the campus storm water. Extensive work has also been done on Washington Street to capture, divert, and treat storm water heading to Johnson Pond.

Where on campus can I smoke? Smoking is prohibited throughout the Colby campus. Prohibited areas also including parking areas, athletic fields, and arenas. This also applies to Colby vehicles and off-campus Colby property. Personal, private, leased, or borrowed vehicles not owned by the College, when on the Colby campus, are also prohibited areas for tobacco use.

Are dogs allowed on campus? College policies including the Student, Staff, and Faculty Handbooks address dogs as follows: (a) Students are forbidden to keep pets on campus, unless it can live in an aquatic environment). (b) Staff and faculty (except those residing on campus) are expected to refrain from bringing pets, especially dogs, to the campus. (c) Unleashed dogs violate state law as well as Waterville city ordinance.

Additionally, state and local regulations apply to visitors and pet owners who bring dogs to campus.

Dogs are limited to certain areas of campus. Dogs are not permitted inside any buildings or on athletic fields.

If you choose to bring your dog to campus, please keep it on a leash or close with you under your control. Waterville city ordinance states that dogs running at large may be impounded.

Dogs should not be let loose to run on campus. Keeping dogs under control protects the wild life on our campus. State statutes identify as illegal, "nuisance" dogs, which are dogs that chase, wound, or kill wild life.

Please ensure that you clean up after your dog. City of Waterville ordinance specifies that it is a violation for any person to fail to immediately pick up and lawfully dispose of feces left by their dog on any public or private property.

Please help us to keep the Colby College campus a beautiful place to work and live!